the enigma of a blue-haired boy
by fool-kitty
Summary: Figuring out the curious habits of one Arisato Minato, one person at a time. Chapter 4: It's music to her ears.
1. magician's planning

Summary: the curious habits of one Arisato Minato examined from his friends.

A/N: Basing this off of my personal impressions and the game. Loved the movie – _oh my god, the movie was soo pretty and enjoyed it very much so_ -, but will not be pulling too much information from it. Also my first multi chapter fic, so bear with me.

* * *

There'll be days where the group made the trip to Tartarus for various reasons such as to practice and find their way to the top. They endured countless near death experiences while bathed in luminescent green, but nobody ever dared to talk about it.

Junpei liked and disliked those kinds of days. Yeah, it was awesome to actually do something with his life besides just going to school. However, those days stretched out into eternity. The group would go in, energetic and ready to fight their way through. Most of the time, Akihiko-senpai and Yukari-chan would be in the group (as if there was actually a choice) and with Arisato at the lead, how could they fail? The man had an innate talent to lead the group through hazards despite his dead silence.

He glared at him from the corner of his eye. How dare he act so…stand-offish? He had lives in his hands and here he was, sitting there as if nothing would hurt him. It annoyed Junpei so very much.

So naturally, those days were kind of hit and misses. He liked the guy, no questioning that. Again, his nature was kind of hard to manage because most of the damn time, conversations were entirely one-sided. Outside of Tartarus, Iori Junpei would scream that he was friends with Arisato Minato at the top of his lungs. There was no denying that. Inside the dungeon though, that same behavior chafed at his nerves.

When Minato dusted off his pants and began moving again, Junpei could only watch as his (best?) friend walked into the darkness by himself.

* * *

The other days though, they were relatively…dull. Junpei liked having the thrill of battle rushing through his veins, but sometimes, they would all be so sore that they literally felt pain in every joint and muscle.

Not that Minato would actually say anything, but nothing said about that.

At the moment, the lounge was filled with the rest of his dorm mates. Of course, Akihiko-senpai, being the battle hungry boxer he was, cleaned his gloves in a slow and methodical way. Junpei watched for all of five seconds before giving up on catching his attention. On the other hand, Mitsuru-senpai wasn't any better. She clicked her tongue as she sifted through 'Kirijo business' as he had dubbed it.

The great senpai had never seemed so…ungreat in that moment.

Yukari, lovely girl that she was, sat away from the rest of them, texting on her phone. He mused at how snarky she was to him, but watching her now seemed odd. He was used to energetic and brash Yukari with enough temper in her to…well, he didn't really want to think too hard about that. He was used to her being all uppity and stuff that in moments like these, he didn't know how to act. Regardless, the brunette girl frowned at the cellular device and he could only watch before slowly shifting his gaze.

And then there was the leader himself.

To be fair, the guy did have it somewhat rough. Junpei watched him maneuver through school clubs like it was Tartarus. Student council meeting on Monday and Wednesday, art club on Tuesday, kendo practice on Thursday. Junpei didn't even want to mention the extra-curricular activities he picked up like going to that weird bookstore with the old couple or talking to guys from other schools.

However, no one told him that he had to go and do all that. That taxes a person rather quickly, Junpei told him at one point. He remembered the shrug and the noncommittal grunt. _I can handle it_, he said so calmly.

Joke's on him. He tried to fight off sleep as he read the assignment Toriumi-sensei gave them for homework. The boy seemed ready to pass right here. Junpei held back the urge to play a prank on him.

He didn't really know the whole story about any of the people living here in this dorm. Most likely, they all assumed Iori Junpei was just another joker who was looking at this like a game. He knew the risks, but oh my god, how could anyone _not_ be excited? They were slowly saving the world from the shadows and solving the mysteries of the Dark Hour and Tartarus. Taking breaks like this while people are clearly suffering from Apathy Syndrome was painful and he needed to _move_. To be able to do something with his life would be the greatest thing ever.

He never liked these days.

In those off days they don't actually go to Tartarus and they all actually get sleep, Junpei stayed up. He didn't know how anyone that knew of the Dark Hour could actually sleep off the terror. Sure, the dorm was well-protected and it housed Persona users who knew how to fight, but the danger still existed out there. There were shadows actively threatening human lives.

…he could be scared once in a while, right?

He huddled under his blanket, trying to maintain his cool in an otherwise frightening experience. No one should be used to seeing pale green light and fuckin' blood and _coffins_-

But he digressed.

On one day, he could hear mutterings coming from Minato's room. The boy loved his sleep. No one would ever volunteer to go and wake him up for school solely because it was near impossible. He woke up on his own schedule and went about his day as if he didn't just earn another Kirijo glare and annoyed Yukari scoffs. Him and sleep came together so naturally that now Junpei just assumed he knocked out as soon as his head touched the pillow.

So yeah, hearing his voice at this hour was terrifying.

He could only hear various words from the room. The thick walls muffled what little noise came from his room. In the midst of his fear, curious ears strained to pick up what was going on.

"…is that so?" Definitely Minato's voice.

The most startling thing though was that he didn't hear anyone else's voice in the room, yet he still replied back and answered questions. Junpei wanted to chalk it up to sleep talking, but when he took naps in the lounge, he never did that.

"I understand."

Junpei was going to get to the bottom of this. It'd be a good addition to his Spooky Hour if he could describe it right.

* * *

Unfortunately, no one took him seriously. Though, it wasn't like he could talk to a lot of people about Minato. Mitsuru-senpai was near unapproachable, save for exploring Tartarus only because they had to work together. Akihiko-senpai was a similar ordeal, but with different reasons. He kind of just shrugged his questions off unless they pertained to training. Not to mention, he was still dealing with the checkups from that attack on the dorms.

"Don't cha ever wonder what our great and mysterious leader gets up to, Yuka-tan?"

Said person scoffed at him with disdain. She slung her bow over her shoulder, obviously ready to go to archery practice later today. "Isn't he always at clubs and studying? He's a busy guy unlike you."

"Hey, I'll have you know beating all of the games take time and practice."

She hummed. "Sure. Look, Stupei, I have to get going. If you want to talk about Minato, maybe we should do it when he's _not_ sleeping right here in the lounge."

He stilled for a brief second and then turned to the couch. Lo and behold, Minato was sleeping upright, a book on his lap in danger of falling to the ground. Junpei stared agape at him while Yukari scoffed again.

"Seriously? Geez, Stupei, he's been snoring for about ten minutes now." She snapped on her boots and looked ready to leave any minute now. He still didn't move. "Look, I have to go. Anything else?"

He shook his head. With that, she turned and left for the school. He watched him a second longer.

Okay. Since clearly, no one was serious about this, he would have to lead. He giggled to himself at the thought of leading a sneak operation. Right, he has to name it too. He thought long and hard about what he could name it.

He left the dorm, thoughts brewing about how to go about figuring out what Arisato Minato does in his room during the Dark Hour. He'll figure it out.


	2. lovers' dilemma

A/N: this was surprisingly really hard to write. Also updated the first chapter to make it more coherent and fix some plot holes.

* * *

Arrows sliced through the air, hitting a target board from afar. The archer kept her stance, releasing four more before relaxing.

_"Don't cha ever wonder what our great leader gets up to?"_

It had only been a few days, but the words disturbed her more than she expected. Stupid…Stupei. She frowned when she realized that the distraction was causing her to miss her shots. The five arrows she shot were all over the board with no precision or accuracy.

Sighing in defeat, she knew that she wouldn't be able to practice in this state. She sat down at the benches in the back and started maintenance on her bow.

Junpei was a massive dolt at times, but even he must have his moments. Yukari absentmindedly wound the bowstring tightly as she let her thoughts wander. Unsurprisingly, the focus of her thoughts was on their mysterious leader.

It was difficult to understand Minato's motives based on what she learned from the files Mitsuru-senpai gave her. Unlike everyone else, he only acted at his own pace. He didn't seem to be doing any of the Tartarus explorations for his own gain. He did share the same sentiment to end the Dark Hour, but she wasn't sure why. Thinking about it, he never shared anything about himself.

The only information she knew was stolen from looking at his school portfolio.

The girl frowned, knowing that there was no point in worrying about that too much. She already apologized about that and he accepted it without complaint. Then again, he _was_ lying on a hospital bed with an IV drip beside him. He probably didn't have a choice in that matter.

He was different in all the right ways. Yukari was used to a normal life, one that didn't revolve around terror and green-lit nights and coffins. She was the social one in their rag-tag group of persona users. She talked with people so much that she thought she could tell a person's personality by first glance.

Perhaps she did get it right the first time when she met him.

Being social did next to nothing when she was in the same room with him. She rambled, she hesitated. She was everything that she thought she got over when she went on to high school. With the others around, they acted as a buffer, a way to constrain the stumbling teenager she was.

Despite that, she tried talking to him. She tried to make herself feel comfortable around him because there was so much on the line that she couldn't fumble around the leader. That was dangerous, risky, and stupid.

Her mind flitted back to those first meetings, a night bathed in pale green and a morning filled with hesitant smiles.

No memory in particular stood out from the others. The thing about him was that he was just so…untouchable. If someone asked her to describe the boy in any way, she wouldn't know where to start. At first glance, he wasn't the type of guy she would normally associate with. His default emotion was cold and jagged, pointed so that no one would ever dream of bothering him. He actively chose the solace of music over talking. When he did speak, they were such short sentences that she doubted he could even say more than a paragraph.

The only time he was more vocal was in the depths of Tartarus, but those words weren't the kind of talking she liked hearing.

Unlike the others, she didn't like to be put in that situation where they all teetered on the edge of death. She didn't like the cold feel of circular metal pressing on her forehead or pulling a trigger from what is supposed to be an instrument for killing.

Despite her mind being in a million places thinking about nothing, she knew when the bow had been wound tight enough. She grabbed a damp washcloth, dipped it in oil, and began cleaning the metal curves of her bow. The cleaning came so easily and naturally, she let her thoughts-

"Hey."

-wander to the boy currently standing in front of her.

…wait.

With a calm she didn't think she possessed, she brought her gaze up to meet his. Sleepy gray eyes watched her and she wondered how out of it she was if she didn't notice him.

"How long have you been standing there?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Got out of kendo practice just now. I figured you would like a walk back."

The sentence was more than what she expected. She didn't miss the way he dodged the question, but her mind and heart fluttered at what he said. He was waiting on her. Instead of going home and taking a rest, which he clearly needed, he took the time to wait. A smile was threatening to break out, so she neatly covered it up with appreciation written on her face. "Oh, thanks. I'll be done in a few minutes."

Without saying another word, the boy sat down next to her on the bench and close d his eyes. She didn't need to look to see that he had his signature headphones delicately placed on his ears. Making sure that she didn't keep him waiting any longer, she continued her maintenance. Luckily, she was almost finished.

Once she finished, she placed her clean bow in the case and stood to put the now dirty cloth in the hamper. With a pleased smile, she went to go change into her school attire and grab her bag. Today would be a good day.

* * *

Despite her exuberance at his actions, she had forgotten one significant thing.

He didn't like to talk.

As soon as they left school, the silence crept in and seemingly froze her tongue. She liked the quiet, but not when it was charged with an awkward tension that only she seemed to feel. He guided her to the train station, only making her feel even more nervous.

He liked looking out the window, so they stood next to the doors. She never understood why he had a fascination with the view, but she didn't stop him from doing so. That being said, she fiddled with her school bag, unsure of what to say.

The ambiance of the train ride was somewhat soothing. Only a few people took the train ride home this late and they were scattered out amongst the seats. She took the time to acknowledge that the quiet was calming her down just a bit. It wasn't completely quiet though.

His music was still on.

In spite of the strange tension, Yukari wanted to talk to him. There was a spark in the back of her mind where Io resided. Its wisdom spread into her mind, guiding her actions.

_The strongest bonds begin with attraction and understanding._

"Hey, Minato-kun." She waved her hand, guiding his eyes to hers. She ignored that fluttery feeling again. "What do you listen to?"

He regarded her with a peculiar look, but she could see the cogs in his mind working to figure out how to answer her. After an agonizing moment of staring at her, he took off one of the ear buds and held it out to her.

"Uhh…"

"Curious?" He had a smirk on his face.

Of course she was. Before she had the chance to back out, she came closer and grabbed it from him.

"Gah!" She threw the earbud as quickly as she could, not missing the slightly surprised look from him. "How could you listen to this? It's so loud and…noisy!"

To his credit, he didn't look offended from her opinion. (Then again, this was the same guy who'd casually comment on death and the Dark Hour like nothing…) He merely grabbed the headphone and clipped it on his lapel. "It's comforting to me."

"Eh?"

She waited for a full explanation, but he gave none. He stood there, nonplussed and again looking out the window. While she was slightly mollified that he didn't get angry at her, the need to find out what he meant by such an ambiguous statement was overwhelming.

Damn her innate curiosity. It was going to kill her one day.

She coughed loudly to capture his attention again, but then shrunk back at how incredibly awkward she was making this train ride. Thankfully, he took mercy on her and glanced at her.

"So…," Crap, she didn't know what to say. Naturally, the nervousness she felt took over with the need to fill the silence again. "How are you enjoying Iwatodai?"

He didn't look particularly annoyed, but she could have sworn she saw a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "It's different from what I remember."

Glad to have a reply to a conversation she could work with, Yukari let her natural social side take over. She didn't want to overthink it too much. "Is that so? What do you mean?"

"The last time I was here was ten years ago." He had a small smile pulling at his lips, but the look in his eyes reflected 10 percent wistfulness and 90 percent pain. "It's been a while."

The rest of the train ride was oppressively silent again. His gaze followed back out to the moving scenery out the window. She looked back down to her bag. She really should have seen that coming. She should have thought out that conversation. _But who says something like that anyways_, her mind argued. She could have easily twisted it on him, blame him for ruining a decent conversation.

She didn't though. He was obviously still getting used to living here and she did pursue the conversation first. Her feelings were going to turn to mush at this point if it kept going through a whirlwind of emotions.

"It's fine, you know."

She flinched at his voice. She didn't expect to hear him say anything else. Yukari turned to gawk at him. He still had that damn unreadable expression lingering in his eyes, but the one emotions she could pick out made her feel twice more guilty.

"Don't worry about it." The dorm was coming into view now. "I've had a long time dealing with it now."

She couldn't register what just happened. Before she realized it, he had opened the oak door for her and let her walk in first. The words were clogging her mental capabilities like cotton balls, making her body go through motions that was pure instinctual. She greeted both her senpais. She waved at Junpei. She said something along the lines of going to sleep early today. She walked up the two flights of stairs to her room. She placed her bag and bow case in the corner of the room and then collapsed on her bed.

Junpei's words echoed in the caverns of her mind, but another question followed right behind it.

_What does he think about?_

She laid there for a long time, hoping to figure that out.


	3. emperor's guidance

A/N: Lol am I really doing a chapter thing? It's so surreal.

Thanks for all the reviews! It's fuel fodder for me to write.

* * *

It had always been about control. Having power would be enough to maintain some aspect of his life, Akihiko thought at one point. That being said, he knew the background history of everyone currently living in the dorms. Not like he could really avoid it though, considering that one of his closest friends is the Kirijo heiress.

_Always had a thing for power_.

Ever since he could remember, it had always been about power struggles and the magnet pull to it. Shinji had always told him that with a scowl etched on his face and a slight tint of concern in those otherwise harsh eyes.

"Akihiko-senpai?"

Thoughts back to reality, Akihiko realized he was in the middle of something. Specifically, training Minato with boxing gloves. The boxer in him wanted to recruit the kid because damn, he had a good right hook. Akihiko's jaw could testify to that. That being said, today's sparring session was nothing different from the norm.

"What's wrong? Tired already?" Akihiko bounced back and forth in a rhythm. "You're the one who asked to join me."

Minato always had a strength he could never possess. Whether it was the aptitude for the Dark Hour or his natural talent, Akihiko couldn't pinpoint it. Despite the lack of discipline in his form, Minato had a decent enough strike that it more than made up for it. _Why train with different weapons rather than stick with one?_

Akihiko would never understand his reasoning, nor would he ever question it. Besides, it seemed like this sparring session was helping him. He had a better form now than before when they first started. Of course, he wouldn't complain. Another sparring partner meant more practice and training.

Minato shook his head. "You were distracted."

Of course, Akihiko realized glumly. Distractions were a disaster in both training and actual combat. He put on a smirk and raised his gloves again.

"Nah, just figuring out the fastest way to beat you."

The taunt was a terrible cover up, he thought too late. Minato seemed to have realized that too, if his skeptic face was anything to go by. When he raised his hands as well, Akihiko knew he was just playing along.

"We'll find out." He stated with a calm indifference.

And so, Akihiko dropped into his boxing stance, ready for whatever Minato would bring. Ignoring his rather strong punches, Minato still had a lot to learn. The first –

Learning how to keep a good stance.

At the moment, he had both fists close to his chest. While that was a good position, his footwork was…horrid, to say the least. The natural stance he used for his sword was too wide for boxing. The light speed with which Akihiko had in his favor was usually the decisive factor in these sparring matches. As much as Akihiko enjoyed training, it was hard to keep beating up a novice.

"C'mon, Arisato." The older teen bounced on his toes. "Your feet can't be wide apart like that in boxing. It makes it easier for me to rush you from the side."

Minato nodded and closed the distance more. Akihiko was satisfied at how much difference footwork could make in boxing. Now it looked like the guy could actually beat him. The boxer raised his gloves in his traditional southpaw stance and smirked.

"Good. Now I don't have to feel bad about kicking your ass."

Whether he replied back or not, it didn't matter. Akihiko entered that state of mind where only the match mattered. Minato, the quiet leader of S.E.E.S., became nothing more than another enemy to fight.

_"Keep your guard up. You'll never know what the other guy has as an advantage."_

Arrogance was not a becoming trait, Akihiko thought as he watched Minato make his own little twist of a regular stance to better suit him. The kid was already nimble with a blade in his hands, able to swipe away at a shadow before they noticed. With boxing gloves and his small stature, he might actually have the advantage in speed here. Not to mention that powerful right hook. Akihiko had one thing over him though.

Experience was usually the make-or-break factor here though.

That being said, Akihiko side stepped and went for the first strike. A right jab followed by a left. Unsurprisingly, Minato's quick reaction saved him from getting hit too hard. Akihiko knew his gloves grazed him, which was enough to continue his combos. A quick succession of punches quickly rendered his sparring partner into a defensive position where he could only hold his hands up to fend off the attacks.

I'm going to win, Akihiko thought dimly as he kept up the barrage in hopes of wearing him down enough to find an opening. Another victory meant his training was making him stronger. Just keep going-

Then Minato _kicked_ him.

No, that wasn't the right way to describe it. Minato had somehow put his foot in Akihiko's and tripped him. As Akihiko fell down on the ring, he saw a raised leg above him. Holding back an outburst, the silver-haired boxer stared in confusion as he watched a fist approach him. The motion was in a time dilation, slowly approaching his face in a daunting and threatening manner.

_Jesus,_ that hurt.

"M-Minato!"

The name struck something in the boy. He stilled and shook his head, only seeing his senpai laying on the floor with a purple contusion on his face. He must have been in a battle trance, Akihiko realized.

"Akihiko-senpai…I'm sorry." Minato took off a glove and offered his hand to him. "I didn't mean to hit you."

He took the hand and pulled himself up from the ground, scoffing in amusement. "No, no. It's fine. That was the objective after all."

Akihiko touched his cheeks, assessing just how badly he hit him. Simply talking was already feeling like stabbing pains. "If you weren't in kendo, I'd definitely recruit you for boxing."

The small humor went unnoticed by Minato as he helped the older teen out of the ring and onto a nearby chair. Akihiko made a motion for him to get an ice pack and he obliged. Before long, the cooling sensation was starting to dull the stings he felt.

"Senpai, we should go."

With that said, the pair quickly moved to the locker room and went to go get changed.

Akihiko doused water on his head and noted out of the corner of his eye Minato doing the same. The growing bruise on his face felt a little better, but the aching sting reminded him that it wouldn't go away anytime soon.

Now that the battle rush had gone away, the experienced fighter was replaced with normal Akihiko. Admittedly, he felt a little awkward now. The both of them were beyond mere strangers at this point, but they did not quite meet the qualifications of being friends. He had never even been in the same room with Minato like this. Sparring required little personal interaction. The lack of social tact on both of their parts was working against them now. Swallowing back his nervousness, Akihiko cleared his throat.

The impassive gray eyes had never seemed so intimidating.

"Can I ask a question?" Akihiko grimaced at the sentence, fully aware that he might be prying into his privacy.

Minato hummed in acknowledgement, but continued to dab himself dry with a towel. Akihiko felt a little miffed at the silence, but continued on.

"Why so interested in boxing? I thought you prefer swords."

The silver-haired teen felt weird asking something like that, but he couldn't deny that he was genuinely curious about it. The kid tended to prefer swords like Mitsuru, all grace and sharp edged. There really wasn't much of a need for him to be learning something as starkly different as boxing.

The young leader buttoned up his shirt and put on the jacket. He yawned and then said, "I want…no, I need to."

Confused at that peculiar statement, Akihiko waited for the explanation. The boy had finally seemed to drop that icy personality and showed something close to embarrassment, though it was only limited to the constant of his eyes.

Akihiko threw on a shirt, making a note of taking a shower later, and then took the lead to go eat. The older teen wanted explanations for that statement, but neither of them were one for talking. The aura around Minato had returned to the familiar frosty one he was used to.

Akihiko wasn't sure if he liked that.

* * *

The dormitory was starting to feel warm like home and Akihiko was sure Miki would have loved that. The love for his sister was a powerful influence on his mood, turning his nervousness into regret and grief. His mind wandered to memories that were supposed to be locked away in the safety of his room, away from concerned glances and prying minds.

Train rides were not supposed to be emotionally draining.

Grabbing at any thought, his mind wandered from that to the other teen next to him, quietly listening to music with his eyes closed. He felt a sudden grief afflict him, feeling mildly selfish for mourning over his sister when Minato lost his whole family in a single night. Akihiko knew that the comparison was unneeded, but he couldn't help himself.

"Akihiko." He turned to see the roil of emotions in silver eyes and he froze. "I need to because I have to protect everyone. That's my answer."

_A child grabs at the dirt in front of a stone slab, crying, "Stronger, I need to get stronger…"_

_ Another one, quieter and bowing his head, stands next to him, crushing his beanie in his hands._

"And," Minato closed his eyes again, "I like the exercise."

…the kid was something else. And Akihiko felt a strange pull in his chest.

"You _always had a thing for power."_

Akihiko couldn't help but agree this time.


	4. empress's desires

A/N: Forget what I said about Yukari. Mitsuru is so much harder to write. Sorry for the delay, personal drama impeded me. That and playing Nocturne without losing my mind.

Again, thanks for all the reviews. I already have various parts (including the ending) planned out, but the reviews really help speed up my writing process!

* * *

There's a certain charm in Arisato's behavior. For all his aloof tendencies, the boy had a way around people. Mitsuru liked that in him, for both professional purposes and her own personal reasons. She wouldn't be the first to say that he was someone special, for everyone could already see that.

She sifted through portfolios of stocks and yearly evaluations as well as research progress from the Kirijo labs. This came second nature to her, which led to her wandering mind.

Terrible habit, but then again she needed one every once in a while. An ounce of personal desire for every ton of responsibility. That being said, these papers really needed to be finished soon. Father needed them back as soon as possible and she'd be damned if she ended up disappointing him.

"Mitsuru-senpai?" The soft tenor of Arisato snapped her attention to him.

"Yes?" She continued trying to read through her files, unsure of whether or not the lab was doing anything remarkable with their latest attempts at data in the Dark Hour. "Do you want to go to Tartarus already?"

She heard a quiet scoff beside her, so unlike his normally frosty demeanor, that it brought her full attention to him. Arisato still _looked_ like the distant boy she'd come to know, but a small glint in his eyes portrayed amusement at something she couldn't quite catch.

"It's 4."

Well. Mitsuru felt hot embarrassment creeping onto her face, now noticing the light from outside. How she didn't notice it before, especially when that same light framed the leader in front of her, she couldn't explain.

"Do you want to come with me somewhere?" He asked, interrupting her cycle of thoughts currently focusing on her embarrassment. "I remember you wanting more experience."

Slightly thankful for his quiet nature and merciful conversation topic, Mitsuru regained her composure and hummed in agreement. "Of course. Do you happen to have any place in particular?"

"Maybe." He said noncommittally, though Mitsuru could clearly see the enthusiasm in his body language. Pleased at the notion of more information on acting normal, Mitsuru closed her laptop – she'd get back to it later tonight; after all, her father needed this – and put on what she hoped was a placating smile.

"Then let us go."

The train ride to Paulownia Mall was a rather quiet trip, though Mitsuru didn't really mind it too much. A few of her father's associates called her during the train ride, asking for various forms that they needed to obtain some classified data, but nothing much came from it. It was a rather strange sensation to go somewhere for her entertainment when she had work needing to be done.

Arisato guided her through the mall, making sure to keep her close by so she wouldn't be lost in the large throngs of teenagers. When he stood in front of a small record store, she stopped to bring her gaze up.

"Power…Records?"

"A new album came out and I wanted to get it." He opened the door and held it for her. "It'd be a nice experience for you."

Feeling disastrously unprepared for this, Mitsuru hesitated just a bit. Just as quickly though, she steeled herself for this. _I asked to be shown the ways of regular society. I will not submit._

She strolled in, taken aback at the full shelves of music. Arisato took the lead yet again, guiding the both of them to the back of the store, and flitted though about three shelves. Mitsuru looked around, trying to ponder just how many albums were here and just how many songs there were.

"Are you interested?" She flinched at his voice and turned around to find him holding a CD.

"Interested in…?"

He carefully slid the CD into the stereo system and flipped through tracks. "In any music?"

Mitsuru looked down, trying to hold back the look of dismay she had. The life of being a Kirijo heir held no place for certain frivolities like this. She hoped that he wouldn't press her any further. Arisato still noticed though.

"You haven't done this before?" He sounded a bit confused, but his face betrayed nothing. "What do you like to listen to?"

Mitsuru hesitantly flipped through albums, unsure of all these names and genres. "I have a liking for classical music, but I'm sure that's not what you're referring to."

He had a fond smile on his face, an expression that made her blush at the fact that she caused it. "It helps. Is that all?"

She nodded in affirmation, trying to rein in her fluster. Eager to do so, Mitsuru pulled out a random album and held it out to him like a dog would to its owner. "What about this?"

He chuckled softly to himself - which did not help her composure- and took it from her. "I'm not sure this would be your thing."

The sight of skulls surrounded by fire was mildly alarming, she would admit. If she wasn't so used to the Dark Hour, she'd probably have a stronger reaction. Regardless, she gave a tense shrug and felt like she had messed something up.

"I'm sorry, Arisato." She couldn't help the disappointment from slipping into her words. "I'm not…entirely used to this."

He shook his head as he sifted through the reams of music in the store. "It's nice to introduce music to someone. The expression is limitless."

Before she could ask about that comment, Arisato held a pair of headphones out to her. With great reluctance, Mitsuru slowly took the headphones and wore them. Again, she was out of her comfort zone, feeling like her age for once in her life. _Then again, I did ask Arisato to help me with this._

"This isn't the type of music I listen to, so we'll both be experiencing something new." She turned to see another matching pair on him as well. "I'm about to turn it on."

And after a few seconds, he did. She was expecting the noise that Takeba listened to on occasion or one of Akihiko's training songs. Instead of that, she heard a combination of lilting piano and the wailing of a guitar. There were no lyrics, but the melody carried the song through. Mitsuru wasn't sure how to regard this song, but the piano helped formulate her opinion and observation.

The two instruments played in sync, the piano carrying a lighter and more peaceful serenity and the guitar adding a…twist, for lack of a better word. All she knew was that the overall listening experience was something different for her and that she _enjoyed_ it.

When the song ended, Arisato had already hung his headphones back on the hook. Mitsuru followed his actions, unsure of what to do now. It wasn't every day that she had a friendly excursion like this without some ulterior motive.

"Did you like it?" Arisato had a neutral expression as always, but his voice carried a hint of emotion she couldn't quite name.

"I suppose so." Mitsuru replied honestly. It was a first for her to hear such music. "Is this what constitutes for music nowadays?"

To her surprise, he shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It was a soundtrack from a video game that Junpei lent me."

Mitsuru was speechless. Music like that came from what she thought was a distraction? She felt baffled. Meanwhile, Minato picked out an album from the pile and gave it to her.

"Here, this is the one." She numbly took it, still lost in her confusion.

By the time she came to, she realized that she had bought the album he gave her and were already leaving for the dorms together. A strange sensation came over Mitsuru, unsure of everything at that moment. Feelings of confusion at this whole day, happiness at merely being able to act like her age, and discomfort at leaving behind work for something like this were very strong.

Arisato had a serene look on his face, a sign that he had detached himself from this world again. Mitsuru let him have his moment, finally getting to understand the boy in front of her just a little bit more.

Music was the freedom to hear whatever she wanted to hear without the opinion of another person. It was the pleasant sensation in her ears that relaxed her entire body. She let herself have this moment to herself, remembering all that she could of today's excursion.

At that moment, she felt like a young girl simply enjoying what a nice moment she had with this charming boy.


End file.
